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The BJF are proud to announce our Portuguese site is now live! This is a crucial step in our journey as it means we are now able to engage more readily with our Brazilian audience and keep them informed and up to date on all of the progress that’s taking place! 

We want to make sure that as many people as possible are aware about this vital work that is taking place in Brazil, and the implications it has for the global population. This website is the main outlet for tracking the BJF project, learning more about its importance and what you can do to support us in our mission. You can view our Portuguese website by clicking on the Brazilian flag in the top left corner of the page! 

This website has been made possible due to two of our amazing and dedicated partners!

Elevate are an agile company that create state of the art websites. Upon meeting the owner, Patrick Wachner at a workshop and presenting our project to him at a meeting in 2015, Mr. Wachner agreed to aid us in our goal and help assist with the creation of our new BJF website. It is largely thanks to the support of this innovative organisation that we have been able to launch our new website! You can see how they promote their work for the BJF here. 

We are Brain have been another vital component in this process, as a web and IT development firm they have brought this new website to life, assisting with everything from exploratory research and analysis to design. We thank them greatly for their support!

 

This month, two of our amazing donors completed the bridge to bridge run in Arnhem, Netherlands, in aid of the BJF! Both dedicated supporters, this is one of many ways Hadassa and Tomas have contributed to the BJF!

As a Biologist from Brasília, Hadassa is passionate about the potential for our project to help restore the ecosystems of the Cerrado Savanna and Amazon and bring back water security to these areas!

When in balance, the earth’s ecosystems provide mankind with suitable living conditions such as clean air, fresh water and soil. In many cases these conditions provided by nature are taken for granted. For instance, the value of clean air and drinking water might not be taken into account as important factors when developing our societies and economies. In such cases, decisions are made leaving natural systems out of consideration.

In order to make the benefits that we receive from ecosystems measurable and link them with human activities, the concept of Ecosystem Services was developed. Ecosystem Services is a concept where natural services are given economic value/worth in order to bring these services into consideration when making decisions. Ecosystems services include for example, provision of food and raw materials, nutrient recycling and soil formation.

Naturally, water is also one important service provided by ecosystems. Ecosystems provide fresh water that is directly consumable by living beings. That is of course, of extreme importance for us as well, especially when considering that most of the water on our planet is sea water. Other water related ecosystem services are climate regulation, through humidity and temperature control amongst other things, and the provision of fish stocks.

Water related ecosystems services are not only linked to aquatic ecosystems but also to terrestrial ecosystems. For example, vegetation plays a key role in water retention and groundwater recharge, two important aspects of the water cycle. From this perspective, restoration projects, such as the Araguaia Corridor project, do not only contribute to increase/maintain terrestrial ecosystems services such as biodiversity and carbon sequestration, but also contribute – and are essential – to water related ecosystems services.

By Hadassa Moreira and Simon Holsteijn, IMD

What an example Lenn Keyhan Yonkers and his parents are setting! Lenn is a two year old boy who lives in the Netherlands. For his second birthday, Instead of receiving luxury toys,  his parents and loved ones collected money so that trees can be planted in his honor along the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor. 

The BJF has provided a certificate to Lenn, pinpointing exactly where his trees will be planted. He will also receive update every 6 months about how his trees doing. When he turns 15 his parents intend to take him to the site of his then fully developed patch of forest!  Lenn and his parents are truly setting a great example. Their donation shows how young children can already have a positive impact on the environment!

Last July our forest engineer- Eduardo Oliveira – and our project coordinator – Dimitrio Schievenin – went on a roadshow throughout the Araguaia region. The goal of the roadshow was to spread the news about the BJF to new landowners, regional stakeholders, and public agencies. They had many meetings, including with the secretaries of environment of Marianópolis, Caseara and Santana do Araguaia, secretaries of agriculture of Caseara and Santana do Araguaia, members of rural syndicates and agencies of Tocantins State. There was great interest to learn more about the project and the advantages of ecological restoration from all of these entities.

It was impressive to see the commitment of public agencies to the environment- even in very small towns! Angela Barbosa, secretary of environment of Marianópolis, was very proud to partner with the BJF and promised an articulation with local landowners. Legislators of Caseara suggested schoolchildren visit BJF nursery for environmental education. The BJF really looks forward to help these municipalities in re-greening areas of their land. 

You can see the local newspaper article written about the BJF here

When we plant seedlings in our restoration site, we separate between fast-growing and diverse species. The role of fast-growing species is to build up the new forest structure and provide the ideal conditions for the more diverse species to then thrive.

The fast-growing species do not only grow fast but they also have a faster life cycle, this is why some of the seedlings we have planted in December have already come into fruition! So far this season Mutambo (Guazuma ulmifolia) and the Urucum (Bixa orellana) have been the stars of the show. This fruition is a crucial stage in the restoration process as once these trees attract fauna, these animals will not only feed in the restoration site, but they will also bring seeds of different species, making the new forest richer and healthier.

The Mutambo (Guazuma ulmifolia) tree

BJF Team Brazil- painting their faces with fruit from our very own trees!